The Changing NBA landscape

Silly season is well and truly in full swing in the NBA with plenty of free agency movement and some big name trades all happening, sides are bustling to try to hold on to or pick up the missing pieces to make them an instant contender.
Another week another big trade with Paul George leaving the Pacers and heading to join Russell Westbrook at the Thunder. The race for big names is getting bigger with the top few teams all looking to bolster their lists for a crack at a title now.

Blake Griffen has signed back with the Clippers despite CP3 heading to the Rockets.

Curry and Iguodala both signed with the Warriors keeping their core intact and sets the bar very high for all other teams chasing.
The Cavs are looking high and Low to try to narrow the gap between them and the Warriors, no luck yet though but rumours are flying about them chasing Cousins and others to make their line up even more stacked. The East will be a conference of 2 teams for the next 3-5 years Cavs and Celtics as we see teams like the Bulls go into full rebuild mode knowing they will not compete for a title with their current list in the next 5 years.
Celtics seem in the box seat with a great core of players and plenty of draft picks up their sleeve they are in a position to make an impact very soon.

The other only sides that may make an impression are the Wizards, Raptors, Bucks and Heat but the gap between them all and the Cavs is more like Grand Canyon. These sides would need to recruit 2-3 big name players in to be an instant threat. The Rest are making up the numbers for now but the 76’s look best placed to be impacting the league in the next 3-4 years if and it’s a big if they can keep all these young guns together but also fit and healthy.
The Warriors even with some of the trades being made are number 1 they are just that much better than everyone else, and will win if not battle for the next 2-3 championships if they keep this group together. (money will be the only thing that stops them) Out of the rest Spurs were close then a gap to Rockets then a big Gap to the rest. The Trades have pushed Rockets and OKC up to that next bracket and will battle with the Spurs all of which are still better than everyone in the East except Cavs and Celtics on a good day.
It seems like players more than ever are looking for some instant success and are jumping ship quickly for the promise of a chance of a ring. So sit back and enjoy the trade shenanigans for the next few weeks and even right up to the trade dead line there will be some more big names making the move for their chance at glory.
While this might be good for some of these players and teams it leaves the competition in a vulnerable state, will we end up like the EPL were only 3-4 teams will win the next 40 championships as brilliant young players get poached to a big team for that instant win.
Will we see teams like the 76’s hold it all together or Boston leading the way in building a championship team with loyalty and bringing a young team together.
Will we see teams trading players early, if they are not a contender that season as their stars come into the final year of contracts will it be easier to trade them off and start again for fear of losing them to one of the big teams who are right there right now for nothing in free agency and receive no compensation.
We have the two conferences with an ever widening gap right now the season will be one long boring process as will the first round of the finals. This could be the way it is for the next few years and even longer.
We have had many great teams in the past the Lakers and Celtics from the 80’s Bulls of the 90’s but you almost never saw a player in their prime jump ship chasing a ring, Imagine the outrage if Larry Bird went to the LA Lakers……. There would of been riots, protests, the NBA may of even stepped in to stop it as it was bad for the integrity of the game. Very few big name players changed teams and even less when they were at the dominant best.
We live in a period in the NBA right now that could define how the next 20 years of basketball is managed. It seems like you no longer need to recruit the best players via the draft, go to the bottom pick up some draft picks play average players. Open up enough cap space and simply buy in who ever you want to when the time is right.